Livingston High D263 Classroom Description From 10/4 Visit

Mr. T's classroom at LHS is on the second floor, a fair distance from either administrative help or interference (depending on your point of view). Egress in case of a fire is simple: Take the first left and follow hall to stairs; go down one flight to ground-level exit.

 To give you a tour of this room, I have arranged the six pictures below in a roughly clockwise sweep.

 

Photo 1

The top photo shows the classroom door. Above it, you will notice the class clock; to the right of the door, is a small red fire box and a beige class telephone, between which sits a pink evacuation plan. To the right of these items, there is an announcement board, one of a set of two bookending the dry-erase board. To the left of the door is a desk and a gray filing cabinet, topped by more student artwork. (We'll finish the tour with a full shot of the big faux-wood filing cabinet that you can see a piece of on the far left.)

Photo 2

At roughly noon on our imaginary clock, the front of the class is dominated by the dry-erase board, framed left and right by announcement boards. There is a pull-down projection screen onto which media from the teacher's PC in the back can be projected. Just below, the right-hand announcement board, there is another small desk (only a bit of the left side is visible).

Photo 3

In Photo 3, at about 2:30 on our clock, you can now see the little utility desk in its entirety and the right wall, which is devoted to two big bulletin boards showing off student projects. The green board, which you can only see a tiny sliver of here, is fully visible in Photos 4 and 5.

Photo 4

In the corner to the right of the green board, you can barely make out Mr. T. sitting at his desk. This area has a PC, a printer, copier, and the overhead projector (that black blob on the ceiling). At six o'clock, forming the entire back wall of the class, are banks of windows facing a courtyard.

Photo 5

Photo 5 is a little tighter shot of the back-right corner--Mr. T's desk and command central for the class room.

Photo 6

The bottom photo shows the rest of the windows and some texts sitting atop the HVAC unit that controls the climate. As promised, you can now see a full shot of the "wood" storage cabinet you saw part of in Photo 1, on top of which sits some ceramics created by students.

General Impressions of Physical Environment

Although there is no escaping the hallmarks of an institutional atmosphere--fluorescent strip lights, drop ceiling, plastic chairs and desks spot-welded into an awkward unit--this class has many redeeming qualities. For one, it has lots of natural light from the big windows facing the courtyard. For another, the teacher is on very friendly terms with the students, letting them feel at home in this class. Last, there is ample storage, student art on prominent display, and the ability to use a PC to enliven instruction and students' presentation. On the whole, the class is a clean, orderly, comfortable place to teach and learn. My one criticism (besides the institutional ambiance) is that the acoustics are poor; soft-spoken students are all but inaudible. Still, it is a welcoming place for students and teachers alike.